Nez Perce National Historic Trail - Auto Tours

Joseph. Oregon

Symbolic Beginning of the Nez Perce Flight of 1877.

The Nez Perce name for this area was hah-un-sah-pah—'big rocks lying scattered around.' Today,Joseph is a town with homes, shops, and artisan galleries.The streets are 100 feet wide, originally built to accommodate a 4-horse team turnabout. South of Joseph, near scenic Wallowa Lake, is the symbolic beginning of the Nez Perce flight of 1877.

This is where we were born and raised...It is our native country. It is impossible for us to leave.–Ollokot

Chief Joseph's Grave

Grave Marker

This is a national historic landmark and sacred site dedicated to Tuekakas, Old Chief Joseph. He is referred to as Old Joseph to distinguish him from his son, Chief Joseph (Hinmatooyalahtqit.) As a young man, Tuekakas converted to Christianity. Old Joseph signed the treaty of 1855, which set aside 7 million acres for the Nez Perce Reservation. Eight years later, he refused to sign a new treaty that relinquished more than 6 million acres.

This is where I live and there is where I want to leave my body.–Old Joseph (Tuekakas)

Enterprise, Oregon

Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce Traditional Homeland.

West of downtown Enterprise, an interpretive panel honoring Chief Joseph overlooks the Wallowa Valley, the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce traditional homeland.

Wallowa Mountains Office & Visitor’s Center,Wallowa-Whitman National ForestOpen daily 8am-5pm during summer months,Monday-Friday in winter.Features dioramas of Nez Perce lifeways, maps, andinformational literature.

Lostine, Oregon

The confluence of the Lostine and Wallowa Rivers

At the confluence of the Lostine and Wallowa Rivers,the Lostine area has long provided campsites for the Nez Perce.

Old Reservation Boundary

Chief Joseph Boundary

Remnant of an Old Chief Joseph marker marking the Wallowa reservation boundary of the 1863 treaty, which Joseph did not sign. R.M. Downy in 1874 described them as being about 3-4 feet at that time, built around poles or posts set in the ground tall (originally about 10 feet tall). Old Chief Joseph told him, through an interpreter, that they showed “where his line was to the Wallowa country and he wanted the white men to know where his lines were.” These poles were maintained by the Indians until 1877.

Wallowa, Oregon

Summer Camp at “Indian Town” near Wallowa.

Tensions between settlers and Nez Perce ran highest when the Joseph band came to their summer camp at “Indian Town” near Wallowa. The first council between the two sides was held on August 14, 1872 near where the Lostine and Wallowa Rivers meet. Both sides believed the land was theirs.

Tamkaliks Celebration of Native American Culture(Nez Perce Homeland Project)A 3-day event is held annually in mid-July tocelebrate the continuing Nez Perce presence in theWallowa Valley.

Nez Perce Homeland Sign

Minam, Oregon

Western Boundary

Traditionally, Minam Hill marked the westernmost boundary of the Wallowa band’s territory, as well as that of the entire Nez Perce people. As the highway crosses the river, Minam River flows into the Wallowa River on the south side of the bridge. This excellent hay country supported the Nez Perce herds of thousands of horses and cattle.

Inside this boundary, all our people were born.It circles around the graves of our fathers, and will never give up these graves to any man.–Chief Joseph (Hinmatooyalahtqit)

Imnaha, Oregon

Winter Village

Imnaha was once a winter village for one of the large bands of the Nez Perce. Numerous pit house villages extended both north and south. The Imnaha River, prior to the building of the dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, was one of the finest salmon streams in the region.

There is a canyon overlook interpretive sign 7.5 miles past Imnaha.

Dug Bar

River Ford

A 25-mile, single lane dirt road follows the Imnaha River to the site where the Wallowa band forded the Snake River. This canyon still appears much as it would have in 1877. Wet or snowy conditions can make this road hazardous. Dug Bar can also be accessed via jet boat or float trip on the Snake River.

Indian Village Grove

Spring Camp

A half-mile walking trail leads through a grove of ponderosa pines to a former Nez Perce spring camp.Many of the trees here still bear peel scars dating to the 1870s. Before the summer roots and berries were ready to harvest, the outer bark of the pine trees could be peeled to eat the sweet inner cambium layer.

Buckhorn Lookout

Viewpoint

See magnificent views of the traditional Nez Perce homelands of the Wallowa area bands, in the Imnaha Valley and the canyons of Horse Creek, LightningCreek, and Cow Creek in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.

Joseph Canyon Viewpoint

Viewpoint

Nez Perce called this area saqánma, which means “long, rough canyon.” This dramatic viewpoint on Oregon State Highway 3, about 38 miles north of Enterprise, shows where families of the Wallowa band made their winter camps, at the confluence of Joseph Creek and Grande Ronde River.

Asotin, Washington

Winter Camp

Nez Perce called the creek that flows into the Snake River near present day Asotin, Washington, Héesutine, or “eel creek.” This was the winter camp of Looking Glass’ nontreaty band. Asotin, Washington is six miles south of Clarkston, Washington. River boat trips are available from here.

Lewiston, Idaho

Gold Rush

In 1860, gold was discovered in Pierce, sixty miles east of here, setting the stage for white encroachment in the area. In 1862, the town of Lewiston sprang up at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers as a trading and supply depot for the mines within the Nez Perce Reservation.

Although the fleeing non–treaty Nez Perce never came closer than 40 miles of Lewiston, the settlers were apprehensive during the summer of 1877. People in the Pullman-Moscow area, 20 miles north of here, built stockades believing they were on the brink of an Indian uprising.

Spalding

Nez Perce National Historical Park

Originally called Lapwai, this area served as a traditional homesite for over 11,000 years to the Thlep-thlep-weyma band of Nez Perce. Each summer the people moved to higher elevations to hunt, fish, and gather wild foods, returning each fall for the salmon ‘run’ on the Clearwater River.

Nez Perce National Historical ParkOpen daily 8am-4:30pm;June-August open 8:30am-5:00pmThis Park features a Nez Perce exhibit hall, videotheatre, gift shop, travel information, and a historicwalking trail. Nez Perce National Historical Park

Fort Lapwai

Indian Agency

In 1863, U.S. troops were assigned to the Lapwai Valley in response to the gold rush. The fort they built was in use from 1863-1885. It was here that General Oliver 0. Howard met with the leaders of Nez Perce non-treaty bands on May 3, 1877, as they made one last attempt to remain on their land.

Cottonwood

Cottonwood House

In June 1877, Cottonwood House (a hotel, saloon, and store) was the only commercial establishment in town. The proprietor, Benjamin Norton, was killed in the Cottonwood skirmish, along with four other white settlers. They were all buried at the Mount Idaho Cemetery.

Cottonwood Wayside

Battlefield

This one-acre rest stop at Milepost 253 near Cottonwood commemorates the fight between 17 volunteers and a party of Nez Perce warriors that left 2 volunteers dead on July 5, 1877.

Grangeville

Stockade

In 1877, Grange Hall (which stood at the corner of today’s Main and Hall Streets) was the only building in sight. New settlers built a stockade around the Hall for their protection.

Tolo Lake

Gathering Place

Tolo Lake (Tipáxliwam) was the gathering spot for five nontreaty Nez Perce bands, over 700 people, in early June 1877. The women dug camas bulbs, preparing for the winter food supply. It was a time of visiting with friends and relatives from other bands. During that spring, the Nez Perce gathered in camp at Camas Prairie…it came June and the Indians were having a good time gambling, horse-racing, and different sports. –Two Moon (Lepít híisemtuks)

White Bird Overlook:

Battlefield

This is the site of the first battle between United States soldiers and the Nez Perce. White Bird Overlook: Interpretive shelter and vistas of the valley and the battlefield The battlefield, today with a 1.5 mile trail, was the site of the initial encounter between the Nez Perce and General Howard’s soldiers and volunteers. Although 34 soldiers were killed in the battle, the Nez Perce did not lose a single warrior.

Half a mile from the battlefield is a monument honoring the dead. White Bird

Stites, Idaho

Mountain Crossing

The Nez Perce traditionally used two routes to cross the Bitterroot Mountains into Montana: the Lolo Trail (Road to the Buffalo) K’useyneisskit and the Southern Nez Perce Trail, which begins here and ends in Conner, Montana.

Kooskia

Flight of 1877

Kooskia, at the eastern edge of the Nez Perce Reservation, has a visitor’s kiosk where murals tell the story of the Nez Perce flight of 1877.

After being attacked near present-day Kooskia on July 1, while camped at their traditional village within the Nez Perce Reservation at the mouth of Clear Creek, the Looking Glass band and the Palouse band moved to the mouth of Cottonwood Creek on the South Fork of the Clearwater.

Clearwater Battlefield

Battlefield

The Clearwater Battlefield is interpreted at a roadside pullout on the west side of Idaho Highway 13, approximately 2 miles south of Stites, Idaho. The battle site itself is located on private property, making it inaccesssible to the public.

Clearwater Battlefield

Weippe, Idaho

Lewis and Clark Meeting

In 1805, Lewis and Clark had their first encounter with the Nez Perce Indians on the Weippe Prairie, not far from the present townsite.

The Weippe Prairie is one of eight registered national landmarks in the State of Idaho and is part of the National Lewis & Clark Historic Trail. It is a level meadow fringed by forest, and through it runs Jim Ford’s Creek, named after a pioneer wood dealer from Lewiston.

Chief Looking Glass Park

This 17-acre park five miles south of Clarkston, Washington, honors Chief Looking Glass, a Nez Perce warrior and chief who died in the Bear Paw Battle.

Like Chief Joseph, Looking Glass (Elelimyetéqenin) favored the return of the non-treaty bands to the reservation, and even after the encounter with General Howard’s troops in White Bird Canyon, he strove to avoid war.

Hells Canyon Visitor Bureau

Visitor information, Nez Perce maps and books as well as tourist brochures are available.

At the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers lie Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston Washington, named to honor the encampment of Lewis & Clark's Corp of Discovery during their journey to the Pacific Ocean. Today, Clarkston and Asotin County are known as the gateway to Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.

Dunwell’s Ferry

Mile 52 U.S. Highway 1

Gold Rush Ferry – In 1877 Dunwell?s Ferry was located at present-day Greer, Idaho. General Howard had originally planned to have a detachment of volunteers cross here, go to Weippe, and squeeze the Nez Perce between the force from Weippe and his force from Kamiah. Those plans were foiled when the Nez Perce left Kamiah before volunteers could reach Weippe.

The volunteers had other problems getting to Weippe. The ferry house had been burned and the boat cut adrift. Without a means to cross the river, the volunteers returned to Kamiah to rejoin General Howard. Following the Clearwater Battle, the Nez Perce crossed the Clearwater River on July 13, 1877 while Nez Perce warriors kept advancing U.S. soldiers at bay.

Heart of the Monster

Mile 68 U.S. Highway 1

A historic landmark in the homeland of the Nimiípuu

Travel back in time to the creation legend of the Nimiípuu. You will ?nd the landmark along U.S. Highway 12 two miles east of Kamiah. An audio station recounts the monster and the coyote legend that led to the Nimiípuu?s origin.

Looking Glass

Mile 75.9 U.S. Highway 1

In the village of Clear Creek, Chief Looking Glass (Elelimyete? qenin? (Wrapped in Wind)) and his band had just awakened on the morning of July 1when they saw troops approaching. Until this time they had maintained their neutrality in the escalating con?ict between the non-treaty Nez Perce and the U.S. government.

Looking Glass sent Peopeo Tholekt to parley with the soldiers. While they were talking, a gunshot rang out, and a villager was wounded.

Looking Glass Village

Mile 75 U.S. Highway 1

There is a self-guided trail that tells the story of the morning of July 1, 1877. Be sure to stop and see the solitary monument that marks the site of the attack on Chief Looking Glass?s camp. This is one of six sites marked by a monument along the trail commemorating the 1877 War.

Clearwater Battle

Mile 21.2 Idaho State Highway 1

As you drive along U.S. Highway 12, venture to the second battle site known as the Clearwater Battle. Take the Idaho State Highway 13 exit. Drive through the towns of Kooskia and Stites. The Clearwater Battle site is approximately 1.5 miles from the junction of U. S. Highway 12 and Idaho State Highway 13.

Powell Ranger Station

Mile 162 U.S. Highway 1

This area was a traditional ?shing spot visited by many Nez Perce on their seasonal rounds. Fishermen used tree limbs as gaff poles and spears, fashioned milkweed into nets, and black hawthorne into hooks, and constructed rock weirs in the river. The Nez Perce and the Salish-Kootenai took advantage of the abundant ?sh during spawning season. Members of the Nez Perce and Salish-Kootenai Tribes ensured their survival and prosperity by working together economically, socially, and spiritually with the land.

Lolo Pass

Mile 174.4 U.S. Highway 12

Retrace this and other historic routes and learn their stories by stopping in and viewing the exhibits at Lolo Pass Visitor Center and Rest Area. The site is easily accessed from U.S. Highway 12 at the Idaho/Montana border.

Packer Meadows

These meadows, as well as other favored gathering sites including the Weippe Prairie, Musselshell Meadows, the Camas Prairie, and the Big Hole Valley, were prime sources for one of the Nez Perce food staples, the Q?emes (camas) root. Families dug roots between July and September using a tukus (traditional digging stick) fashioned from mountain mahogany with a deer antler handle. The bulbs were placed in pits, layered with grasses and leaves and topped with a ?re that was kept burning for about 48 hours. After bulbs turned a dark brown or black, they were pressed into loaves and dried.

On August 6 General Howard established a ?ve-hour breakfast camp with his cavalry and infantry. It was in an area of lush grass with beautiful meadows.

Lolo Hot Springs

Montana Mile 7.0 U.S. Highway 1

The Nimiípuu arrived at Lolo Hot Springs on July 25 well ahead of the Army. Two young men from Stevensville were here on a summer outing. They rushed home and spread the news the Nimiípuu had arrived. Some other visitors also appeared at the camp.

Fort Fizzle

Montana Mile 28 U.S. Highway 1

It was here Captain Rawn received word the Nez Perce were coming down the Lolo Trail into the Bitterroot Valley. He was to stop the Nez Perce with a military barricade. As the Nez Perce drew close, they detoured around the barricade. This site is one of the U.S. millitary failures to stop the Nez Perce and was aptly named Fort Fizzle.

Lolo Trail Barricade - “Fort Fizzle”

Montana Mile 28 U.S. Highway 1

To block the Nez Perce from entering the Bitterroot Valley, Captain Rawn, 30 enlisted men and four of?cers from nearby Fort Missoula entrenched themselves behind log breastworks in a small opening along the Lolo Creek drainage adjacent to the Lolo Trail. About 150 settlers joined the soldiers. The 750 Nez Perce, with more than 1,000 horses, were camped about ?ve miles to the west. At a meeting between Nez Perce chiefs and army of?cers, the Nez Perce made four things very clear: (1) They had no intention of molesting settlers or property. (2) They wanted to travel in peace. (3) They would not surrender their horses, arms and ammunition. (4) They were not ready to return to the hostile environment in Idaho.

Captain Rawn had clear orders. He said the Nez Perce could not pass. However, the barricade failed when the Nez Perce, with their horses and possessions, climbed a steep ravine behind the ridge to the north and bypassed the soldiers. The previously unnamed barricade became the ridiculed “Fort Fizzle.”

Through the Valley

Lolo Creek to Carlton Creek

After avoiding a major con?ict on the Lolo Trail, the Nez Perce followed Lolo Creek to the Bitterroot River. Chief White Bird and others wanted to go north to Canada. Chief Looking Glass insisted on traveling south toward the Big Hole Valley where he had led many hunting parties. He knew there were few settlements and many lush meadows for grazing horses. The chiefs made a fateful decision to go south, up the Bitterroot Valley, into the Big Hole Valley, and east to the buffalo country.

The Nez Perce camped on settler J. P. McClain?s ranch just north of Carlton Creek, in the vicinity of today?s Looking Glass Recreation Area

Through the Valley

Carlton Creek to Stevensville

The Nez Perce moved up the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana on July 29, 1877, in “a cavalcade about ?ve miles long” to the Stevensville area. The main body of Nez Perce spent two of the three days camped along Silverthorn Creek west of Stevensville, Montana, near the home of Chief Charlo, leader of the Bitterroot Salish in an area known today as Indian Prairie.

Through the Valley

Stevensville to Skalkaho

Because the Nez Perce traveled slowly up the valley–12 to 14 miles a day–most settlers believed the Indians had no warlike ambitions. However, not all businessmen were willing to deal with the Nez Perce. A Corvallis merchant, P. R. Young, angrily ordered the Nez Perce out of his store and barred it shut. Later, Colonel Gibbon praised the merchant, while he chastised the Stevensville merchants.

Reports of incidents at the Corvallis and Skalkaho sod forts suggest that the settlers would have been safer in their own homes

Gibbon Enters the Bitterrroot Valley

Colonel Gibbon and his command entered western Montana?s Bitterroot Valley on August 4. They camped near the present-day Pine Hollow Road southeast of Stevensville. As Colonel Gibbon moved up the valley, volunteer settlers, who were now manning the sod forts, joined Gibbon in pursuit of the Nez Perce. The settlers elected J. L. Humble of Corvallis and John Catlin of Skalkaho as company “captains.” Both were at ?rst hesitant to join the chase. The Nez Perce Indians had kept their word and traveled through the valley without incident.

Over the Continental Divide

On August 4, the Nez Perce camped near the con?uence of the Bitterroot River?s east and west forks. Two young warriors, Lone Bird and Wahlitits, told of dreams they had warning that death would follow if they did not hurry. Chief Looking Glass was still convinced they need not hurry. The war was left in Idaho. The dreams were disregarded. Chief Looking Glass prevailed. Completely unaware of Colonel Gibbon, Yellow Wolf expressed the same belief by proclaiming, “War is quit!”

Camp at Ross Hole

On August 5, the Nez Perce traveled up Spring Gulch, across Low Saddle on the north side of Sula Peak, dropped down into Ross Hole and camped near present-day Indian Trees Campground before crossing the Continental Divide.

Nez Perce Reach Big Hole

The steep trail over the Continental Divide was familiar but dif?cult. After the climb, and one night at Trail Creek, the Nez Perce made camp on the banks of a clear, cool stream where the forested mountains meet the green meadows. Horses grazed. Women cut lodge poles and gathered roots. Children played and men hunted game. They had made it to the Iskumkselalik Pah; meaning place of the ground squirrels.

Gibbon at Ross Hole

On August 6, Colonel Gibbon, commanding the 7th Infantry and the volunteer army, crossed the hills south of Rye Creek. The crude wagon “road” was so slow and dif?cult that they had to make a “dry camp” before reaching the summit. They crossed into Ross Hole the next day, making camp just a few miles below the spot where the Nez Perce had camped two nights before. Here, near the con?uence of Waugh and Camp Creeks, Captain Humble and many of the volunteers returned home, ful?lling their obligation to accompany the soldiers as far as Ross Hole. Thirty-four settler volunteers, enticed by Colonel Gibbon?s offer of captured Nez Perce horses, continued the chase.

Crossing the Continental Divide

Colonel Gibbon dispatched Lieutenant Bradley and Captain Catlin with some of their men and a couple volunteers to locate the Nez Perce. Early on August 8, Gibbon and his men started over the Continental Divide. It required many laborious hours using double teams and men with drag ropes to get the wagons up the steep slope.

Before reaching the top, Bradley?s messenger arrived with news that the Nez Perce camp had been located. Leaving the wagon train to follow later, Colonel Gibbon and his men pushed on. They reached Lieutenant Bradley and his scouts about sunset

Gibbon Attack

The same day, the dawn?s silence was shattered when Colonel Gibbon?s 7th Infantry and Captain John Catlin?s Bitterroot volunteers attacked the unsuspecting, sleeping Nez Perce at their camp beside the Big Hole River. This is the site of the present Big Hole National Battle?eld.

Big Hole Battle?eld to Skinner Meadows

The soldiers descended upon the sleeping village, plunging into willows and icy water as they set the stage for the battle of the Big Hole.

For two days the ?ghting wore on. Despite Gibbon?s surprise attack, the Nez Perce rallied and turned the tide of battle. On a wooded knoll above the river,Gibbon and his men found themselves pinned down in ri?e pits, hastily dug with tools at hand, including trowel bayonets. As the ?ghting continued, the Nez Perce quickly broke camp. They buried their dead as best they could, loaded the wounded on travoises and set off south through the Big Hole Valley.

Skinner Meadows to Horse Prairie

Leaving the Takseen camp, the Nez Perce moved south through the Big Hole River drainage. A few miles beyond where Skinner Meadows Road 381 enters the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is the broad expanse of Skinner Meadows, bordered on the east and west by thick-timbered slopes. With General Howard three days behind them, this area offered the Nez Perce an excellent place to stop and rest.

Horse Prairie to Bannock Pass

Once on Horse Prairie, near Trail Creek, the Nez Perce crossed a well-worn trail used in 1805 by Lewis and Clark to reach the Lemhi Valley on their westward trek. Today, this route is designated as part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

The Military Route

The movements of General Howard and his troops through the Horse Prairie region differ from those of the Nez Perce. Howard received word of the warriors? attacks at Horse Prairie while encamped north of Skinner Meadows. He left the main trail and pushed his troops toward Bannack on August 14

Bannock Pass to Leadore

Exactly which route the Nez Perce followed as they left Montana and entered Idaho is unclear. Possibilities include Deadman Pass or a trail leading to the Lemhi Valley through Jakes Canyon. The most probable, however, is the route over Bannock Pass.

Bannock State Historical Park

Bannack State Park is a National Historic Landmark and the site of Montana's first major gold discovery on July 28, 1862. This strike set off a massive gold rush that swelled Bannack's population to over 3,000 by 1863. As the value of gold steadily dwindled, Bannack's bustling population was slowly snuffed out.

Over 50 buildings line Main Street; their historic log and frame structures recall Montana's formative years. A walk down the deserted streets of Bannack evokes a feeling of the realities faced in the 'Old West.' Bannack is the best preserved of all Montana ghost towns

Bannock Pass

Before starting over the Lolo Trail, the chiefs proclaimed there would be a peaceable and law-abiding passage through all the country.

After a bloody two-day battle at the Big Hole River, the Nez Perce gathered their wounded and traveled south through the Big Hole and Horse Prairie Valleys of Montana, raiding a few ranches on the way. On August 13 they crossed the Continental Divide at Bannock Pass into Idaho.

Meeting With Chief Tendoy

After crossing Bannock Pass, the Nez Perce moved down Cruickshank Canyon to the mouth of Timber Creek. At the small town of Junction (two miles east of Leadore) locals awaited them behind a small, hastily constructed stockade. Here, Chiefs White Bird and Looking Glass met with Chief Tendoy of the Lemhi Shoshone to ask for his support. Instead, Chief Tendoy advised the Nez Perce to move on. The Nez Perce complied and camped that night near what is today Nez Perce Canyon. Lean Elk (Wa-wook-ke-ya Was Sauw) knew this country well and accepted leadership of the main group.

Trouble at Birch Creek

The Nez Perce moved quickly, crossing Gilman Divide (Salmon River Pass) and traveled south along Birch Creek. While crossing the Corrine-Virginia City Wagon Road, around noon on Wednesday, August 15, a group of Nez Perce warriors crossed paths with several heavily laden freight wagons heading for the mining camps near Salmon City and Leesburg. The three teamsters and four passengers had stopped at Birch Creek to eat lunch. Before the men could grab their ri?es, the warriors surrounded them. Desperate for food and supplies, the Nez Perce tried to barter with the teamsters. Things eventually turned ugly.

Moving On

From Birch Creek the Nez Perce moved east, skirting the foothills of the mountains and crossing Medicine Lodge Creek and Beaver Creek. They again crossed Corrine -Virginia City Wagon Road a few miles north of Dubois. They stopped at Hole-in-the Rock Station and cut the telegraph lines.

The Nez Perce left a broad trail–50–100 feet wide. Vegetation was almost entirely obliterated by tramping horses dragging scores of travois poles pulling wounded. That evening they set up camp in Camas Meadows

General Howard Takes Up the Pursuit

After the battle at Big Hole, Colonel Gibbon?s pursuit of the Nez Perce was taken up by General Oliver Otis Howard. Howard and his men proceeded hastily east to head off the Nez Perce.

On August 14 General Howard and a small group of his soldiers traveled 25 miles; the balance of troops followed with slower moving wagons full of supplies. Passing through the town of Bannack, they were greeted by cheering settlers. The troops camped 12 miles beyond the town on Horse Prairie Creek, then moved on to Red Rock Station.

Howard’s Strategy

On August 17 near Snowline, fearing the Nez Perce might escape back into Montana, Howard sent 40 cavalry men under the command of First Lieutenant George R. Bacon and several Bannock scouts under the command of Orlando “Rube” Robbins to proceed via Red Rock Lake to Raynolds Pass near Henry?s Lake. Lieutenant Bacon was to wait in the vicinity of Targhee Pass and watch for the Nez Perce for 48 hours, and, if they showed up, to detain them and send word back to Howard.

Camp at Dry Creek

General Howard and his men crossed the Continental Divide at Monida Pass and made their way to Junction Station, where Captain James E. Calloway and 55 Montana volunteers armed with a mountain howitzer joined them. After the arrival of Captain Randolph Norwood?s Second Cavalry on August 18, General Howard?s forces moved on. They rested that night at Dry Creek Station just 18 miles west of the Nez Perce camp. On Sunday, August 19, the command started east and shortly thereafter came upon the trampled trail of the Nez Perce.

Camp at Camas Meadow

General Howard camped near where the Nez Perce had been observed the day before in Camas Meadows. It was Sunday, August 19. All day the soldiers followed a broad trail left by the Nez Perce. After an 18-mile march across the sagebrush prairie, General Howard arrived at Camas Meadows. He camped along the high ground fringing the bottom of Spring Creek and named the camp in honor of Captain Calloway

Encounter at Camas Meadows

Eighteen miles away, the Nez Perce scouts had returned to camp, bringing word of the soldiers?s location. Black Hair had a strong vision in which he saw himself and others escaping with the army?s horses. He told the chiefs of his vision, and 28 men were organized under the leadership of Ollokot, Looking Glass and Toohoolhoolzote to carry out a raid.

The Nez Perce Reach the Madison River

After spending one day at Henry?s Lake, the Nez Perce departed on August 22. They crossed the 7,072–foot Targhee Pass and descended to the Madison River. They then began a journey through the Yellowstone wilderness, an area revered by the Nez Perce for its spiritual power. This area was designated as Yellowstone National Park in 1872.

Henry’s Lake

On August 24 General Howard and his troops reached the southern end of Henry?s Lake. There he learned of Lieutenant Bacon?s return and his failure to intercept the Nez Perce. With that news General Howard realized this desperate chase would continue.

Madison River

August 23, 1877 - Nez Perce enter Yellowstone

On August 14, nine days before the Nez Perce arrived, a party of tourists from Radersburg, Montana, passed here on their way to the Lower Geyser Basin where they set up their main camp while they explored the Park.

When The Nez Perce entered the Park a full three days ahead of the U.S. Army, they were headed east along the Madison River in the direction of their potential ally, the Crow tribe.

Madison Junction

August 23, 1877 - Nez Perce camp near tourists

On the night of August 23, a group of tourists camped in the park became worried about the Nez Perce moving through the region. However, a scout assured the tourists that they would be safe in the Lower Geyser Basin as he wrongly believed the Nez Perce would never come into the Park on account of their fear of the geysers. Unaware of the close proximity of the Nez Perce that night, the tourist party hosted a large bonfire celebrating their last night in the Park.

Nez Perce Creek

August 23, 1877 - The capture of John Shively

From their camp near present-day Madison junction, the main band of Nez Perce moved south along the Firehole River and then continued east over the Central Plateau following Nez Perce Creek. The Nez Perce consisted of young men and women, babies and toddlers, elderly and sick. Stretched out across the landscape, they formed a column almost three miles in length.

Just half a mile from where the tourists were camped on August 23, prospector John Shively set up his camp. That evening Nez Perce scouts entered his camp looking for supplies. From there they saw the lights of the Radersberg camp which they, as well as Shively, visited the next morning.

Nez Perce/Mary Mountain Trail

August 25, 1877 - Violence erupts

The relationship between the Nez Perce and the Radersburg tourists became increasingly contentious as some of the younger warriors, angered and grief-stricken by the unwarranted assaults on their people, sought revenge. Shots were fired and one man was left for dead. Five men escaped and the two women, along with Frank Carpenter, joined the prospector John Shively, as captives of the Nez Perce.

Lower Geyser Basin

August 24, 1877 - The capture of the Radersburg Tourist Party

The morning after they captured John Shively, a Nez Perce scouting party paid an early morning call on the camp of the Radersburg tourist party. The chief concern of the scouting party was to find supplies, food, and fresh horses that they desperately needed.

When George Cowan reacted poorly to their helping themselves to these supplies, the encounter turned dangerous. The Nez Perce worried that the tourists would report the main band’s whereabouts to the army. At first the tourists prepared to leave but were soon compelled to travel along with them.

Indian Pond and Pelican Creek

August 26, 1877 - Nez Perce camp at Indian Pond

The main band of Nez Perce camped another night around Indian Pond, just north of Yellowstone Lake. Oral histories recount how there were so many traveling in this group that many were still arriving in camp as the first began to leave camp early the next morning. The Nez Perce continued north and northeast from Indian Pond, following the Pelican drainage to the heart of the Absaroka mountain range.

Only one day behind, Sergeant Fisher and his scouting party of twenty or so Bannock Indians attempted to follow the Nez Perce upstream to Indian Pond and then into the Absaroka mountains. They were deterred by the rugged terrain and numerous downed trees.

Nez Perce Ford

August 25, 1877 - J.C. Irwin is captured

"During the forenoon the Indians had captured a soldier… He told them of the Helena tourists camped near the Falls, the number of the men and horses." - Emma Cowan (tourist, Radersburg party)

The soldier was J.C. Irwin who had been discharged from Company G, 2nd Cavalry, Ft. Ellis (Bozeman). He escaped from the Nez Perce September 1, and was discovered on Pelican Creek by Scout S.G. Fisher.

Mud Volcano

August 25, 1877 - Nez Perce camp - Sept. 1, 1877 - General Howard camps on the Yellowstone River

After fording the Yellowstone River, the main band of Nez Perce camped near the river. It is known through several oral histories and historical documentation that an elderly woman chose to stay behind here at Mud Volcano as the main band of Nez Perce continued to move eastward through the Park. The elderly woman was last seen by the Nez Perce near one of the geysers, sitting on a buffalo robe with water nearby, singing a song. Bannock scouts enlisted by the U.S. Army eventually came upon the woman, shot and scalped her. The elderly woman made a decision to stay behind so that she would not drain the resources or hinder the movement of the group. She did not want to burden anyone else. She sacrificed her life to ensure the survival of the others.

Although the Nez Perce camped here August 25, the cavalry and infantry did not arrive until September 1, 1877.

Sulphur Mountain

August 25, 1877 - Helena tourists camp near here - Sept. 2, 1877 - General Howard abandons wagons

Sulphur Mountain rises only 300 feet above the road but is still the highest point on this side of Hayden Valley. It made for a good lookout for a group of ten men from Helena who were touring the Park on August 25, 1877.

When General Howard reached this point on September 2, they decided to abandon the wagons and carry what supplies they could.

Spurgin’s Beaver Slide

September 3, 1877 - Captain Spurgin gets the wagons through

Several of the army wagons had no choice but to descend one particularly steep bit of ground that became known as Spurgin’s Beaver Slide after Captain William F. Spurgis who headed the effort. Fortunately they had a 100 foot rope in one of the wagons. They wound the rope around a tree at the top of the slope and tied the other end to a wagon. With several men holding the end of the rope, they carefully lowered the wagons one at a time. Once 100 feet were gained they secured the wagon to a tree with a shorter rope while they moved the longer rope down slope for the second 100 feet. In this manner, the army wagons “slid” down the steep slope.

The rope burns created by the ropes sliding on the trees were visible for years. The last rope-burned tree was destroyed in the fires of 1988.

Otter Creek

August 26, 1877 - Tourists from Helena camped near here

As the three released Radersburg tourists traveled by here on August 26, they were unaware of the ten men from Helena camped just a short distance away. The day before,these men had seen the Nez Perce from the top of Sulphur Mountain, and spent an uneasy night pondering the best course of action.

Fearing another surprise attack like the one at Big Hole, the Nez Perce sent out at least three different scouting parties in all directions of the Park. Scouting parties gathered information as to the U.S. Army’s whereabouts, secured food, supplies, and fresh horses. One such scouting party entered the Helena tourist party camp taking what they could.

Canyon Junction

September 3, 1877 - The army was running low on supplies.

"On the Yellowstone the army ran out of tobacco and most everything else, and filled up on lake trout without salt. These fat fish were lazily lolling around in the river, and luckily it was no trick to catch them. Most of them were wormy, but in those hungry days everything went." - John Redington (scout)

Blacktail Deer Creek

August 26, 1877 - The Cowan’s are escorted out of the Park

Emma, Frank, and Ida Cowan were escorted out of the Park by Lieutenant Schofield’s detachment, and traveled home by way of Bozeman. All nine of the Radersburg tourists had survived their encounter with the Nez Perce. However, they did not yet know that the others were also safe. It would be nearly a month before Emma Cowan learned that her husband George was still alive.

Mammoth Hot Springs

August 31, 1877 - Tourist Richard Dietrich is killed

Several members of the Radersburg party and all members of the Helena party who escaped at Otter Creek found their way to Mammoth Hot Springs. The wounded man, Stewart, was put in a wagon and left for Bozeman on the morning of August 30. Richard Dietrich, a music teacher from Helena, stayed behind. Dietrich had promised the mother of 18-year-old Joseph Roberts that he would be responsible for him and he didn’t want to leave until the boy was found. Later that day a Nez Perce scouting party came through on their way to Henderson’s ranch but those remaining at the springs managed to evade them.

When Lieutenant Doane arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs the next day he found the still-warm body of Richard Dietrich. Apparently Dietrich felt the danger of the previous day was past and had been standing in the doorway of the hotel when a group of Nez Perce warriors approached.

LaDuke Picnic Area

August 31, 1877 - Nez Perce and military clash at Henderson ranch

On August 31, at Bart Henderson’s ranch near the present town of Corwin Springs, another chapter was unfolding. Lieutenant Doane from Ft. Ellis, near Bozeman, was headed toward the Park with a large group of Crow scouts and a company of cavalry when they spotted smoke and went to investigate. A Nez Perce scouting party led by Hímiin Maqsmáqs had just captured a number of horses and set fire to the ranch house. They exchanged gunfire with the men at the ranch but no one was injured. Lieutenant Doane followed the Nez Perce back into the Park and recaptured some of the horses. Oral history from 1877 war descendents reveal that Hímiin Maqsmáqs had driven the horses out of the Henderson corral and only took those that were fast and fresh; the others he left behind.

Baronett’s Bridge

Sept. 5, 1877 - Howard’s forces reach Baronett’s Bridge

Baronett’s Bridge,which sat astride the Yellowstone river at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Lamar rivers, was built in 1871 as a toll-bridge. Jack Baronett profited more from miners on their way to and from the Clarks Fork than he did from tourists in Yellowstone. Howard’s forcesreached this point on September 5. They found the bridge burned by a Nez Perce scouting party, led by Yellow Wolf as they sought to join the main band in the eastern part of the Park. The army set about repairing it with some timbers they took from a nearby Jack Baronett’s cabin, crossed the river, and continued up the East Fork of the Yellowstone.

Soda Butte

September 6, 1877 - Soldiers begin moving up Soda Butte Canyon

Soda Butte is a travertine (calcium carbonate) mound that was formed more than a century ago by hot springs. When the U.S. Army passed by this feature in 1877, the springs hydrothermal water and hydrogen sulfide gases were much more active. It was near this spot that troops under the command of Capt. Robbins and a correspondent from the Idaho Statesman were ordered by General Howard to follow the Nez Perce. A short distance from the Soda Butte Trailhead there is a trail that passes close by the spot where S.G. Fisher and his scouting party killed a deer and stopped for a meal.

General Howard was moving on toward Crandall Creek. Upon entering the Hoodoo basin Capt. Robbins discovered that additional Nez Perce, possibly scouting parties, had joined with the main Nez Perce group and Chief Looking Glass.The very evening that Capt. Robbins and his troops entered the Hoodoo basin a storm moved into the area. Many of the men recalled the extreme cold and how they feared they would freeze to death.

Cooke City

September 7, 1877 - General Howard passes Cooke City

When General Howard passed through Cooke City he found miners gathered there, nervously waiting, prepared to defend themselves against the Nez Perce who passed by 10 to 15 miles south of them.

Nez Perce National Historic Trail Interpretive Site

While General Howard and his men traveled the main access route used by prospectors, the Nez Perce, intent on evading the army, wound their way through the mountains to the south. Braving the cold and treacherous landscape, the Nez Perce left the Park and slipped past the military without being detected.

Cooke City to Colter Pass

On September 7 General Howard and his men, passing through Cooke City, noted that armed miners had gathered there, armed and manned a stockade, to barricade themselves against the Nez Perce. The events that unfolded the past couple of weeks in Yellowstone had everyone on edge. But the Nez Perce were actually making their way through the rugged Absarokas 10 to 15 miles south of here.

Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to Crandell Creek Bridge

Attempts by Howard and Sturgis to communicate were interrupted and met with disastrous results as the Nez Perce had killed the messengers. This left Sturgis wondering if he had missed the Nez Perce and should have been stationed instead on the Shoshone River (Stinking Water) to the south. He left the Clarks Fork and traveled south, second guessing the earlier conclusion about where the Nez Perce would emerge.

In the meantime General Howard’s troops were moving south. When General Howard crossed Crandall Creek on September 8 he intersected the trail of the Nez Perce.

Crandall Creek Bridge to Sunlight Creek

Howard’s troops took the Lodgepole Trail from Crandall Creek and probably crossed Sunlight Creek about 5 miles upstream from here. Sturgis, however, could not find a trail leading from the park and was convinced that the immediate country was impassable.

Sunlight Creek to Sunlight Picnic Area

Side Trip

The highway here bridges a 350 foot deep chasm created by Sunlight Creek. Since this gorge was a formidable obstacle, a short side trip to the Sunlight Picnic Area presents a more accessible crossing of the creek.

Sunlight Creek to Dead Indian Pass

The site of Dead Indian Campground has always been a popular camping area as it was for the Nez Perce and the scouts that sought them that September.

Dead Indian Pass to Clarks Fork Canyon

Troops throughout Montana had been alerted to the movements of the Nez Perce and an all out effort was assembled to converge from several directions to halt their progress.

Scouts gathered information about the movements of the Nez Perce relaying that information back to the troops over rugged terrain and hostile encounters making communication difficult. Ultimately it fell to the judgment and intuition of the army leaders to decide the best course of action.

Clarks Fork Canyon View

It was about half way between the current highway and the canyon that Sturgis and his men camped, waiting to intercept the Nez Perce before they turned south to the Shoshone River.

Clarks Fork Canyon

Side Trip

Just after crossing the Clarks Fork on State Highway 120 turn west at mile post 128 on Park County 1AB to see where the Nez Perce made their daring escape. After traveling 3.3 miles bear southwest on Park County 8VC. Continue 4.4 miles to the dead-end at the Clarks Fork Canyon. Here you may want to hike up the canyon or formulate your own opinion about the most likely route taken by the Nez Perce. Return the way you came to Wyoming State Highway 120.

Clarks Fork Canyon to Belfry, Montana

On the evening of September 11 General Howard was camped on the Clarks Fork just a few miles south of Belfry when he was finally joined by a frustrated Sturgis. According to a witness “[Sturgis was] so bitterly chagrined at the escape of the Indians from one of the best laid traps of nature and man that he exclaimed: - ‘Poor as I am I would give $1,000 if I had not left this place.’” Perhaps to make up for his error in judgment, Sturgis roused his hungry men early the next morning and set off on a quick march up the Clarks Fork to the Yellowstone after the Nez Perce.

Belfry to Bridger, Montana

At this point the Nez Perce were only a few hours ahead of Sturgis, camped on the Yellowstone River. The Nez Perce had long hoped they might find refuge 21with their old friends the Crows but it was evident by this time that the Crows had sided with the government. Politically they could not afford to fight the U.S. Army. The Nez Perce had to keep moving. The only option now was to try to join Sitting Bull in Canada.

Bridger to Laurel, Montana

While most of the Nez Perce crossed the Yellowstone River near Laurel and headed north toward Canyon Creek, a couple of raiding parties followed the Yellowstone River to the small community of Coulson in present day Billings. They burned some buildings and haystacks, stole a few horses, killed two men, and hijacked a stagecoach. When Sturgis and his men crossed the river several hours later they could see the smoke in the distance.

Laurel to Billings

Early on the morning of September 13 with the main party of Nez Perce camped near Canyon Creek a group of warriors headed south into the Yellowstone Valley to forage for supplies.

Joseph Cochran had been farming here less than a year. He was upriver doing some logging. Two trappers, Clinton Dills and W.M. Sumner, were camped at his place eating dinner when six Nez Perce raiders rode up. Thinking these were friendly Crows the trappers made no move to protect themselves and were shot and killed.

Exit 450 to Coulson Park

Side Trip

Travelers who take this side trip will see the site of the town of Coulson, Montana Territory, where the Nez Perce raiders burned a saloon and a house.

Laurel to Canyon Creek Monument

The main body of Nez Perce was moving up Canyon Creek while their scouts watched from the top of the bluffs as they passed. The warriors who had been in the vicinity of what is now Billings were returning to the main party as the military was heading north from Laurel.

About four miles north of Laurel, as you crest a ridge you see the flat of Canyon Creek. It may have been from this vantage point that the troops saw the Nez Perce moving up Canyon Creek.

Canyon Creek Monument to Broadview

From the end of the pavement at the Canyon Creek Monument proceed north on Buffalo Trail Road. In 7.9 miles you will cross Montana State Highway 302. Continue north for 16.8 miles to Broadview. Turn south on Montana State Highway 3 and return the 31.8 miles to Billings or Interstate Highway 90. Turn north to pick up the story in the next Autotour beginning at Broadview as the Nez Perce continue north toward Canada.

Musselshell River

The Nez Perce, with the Army behind them, crossed the Musselshell River after the skirmish at Canyon Creek (see Auto Tour 7 for a detailed account) and followed Careless Creek northwest to Judith Gap.

After the battle at Canyon Creek, the Nez Perce stayed well in front of the military. Utterly worn out and with no hope of catching the elusive Nez Perce, General Howard deliberately slowed his pursuit. In a last attempt to stop the Nez Perce, General Howard sent an urgent message to Colonel Nelson Miles asking for his help.

Reed and Bowles Trading Post

“Major” Alonzo S. Reed and his partner, John J. Bowles, bought the buildings of the trading post, Fort Sherman, in 1874 and moved them two miles down Big Spring Creek. Close enough to Camp Lewis that they could get protection if needed, but far enough that they could carry on illegal trade in alcohol, guns and ammunition

The Nez Perce were familiar with this establishment from trips to the buffalo country and visited it from their camp a couple of miles away on the evening of September 21.

James Kipp Recreation Area

Although steamboats could travel as far up the Missouri River as Fort Benton during spring runoff, the lower water of summer and fall meant that Cow Island, near where Cow Creek joins the Missouri River, was the farthest upstream boats could run. Freight was off-loaded at Cow Island and stored beside a bluff in an open-air depot.

After passing through the Judith Basin the Nez Perce approached the Missouri River and the supply depot at Cow Island. There they crossed the river and moved two miles upstream to make camp. Two of the Nez Perce then approached the depot to ask for food. Their encounter, begun peaceably, soon degenerated to a point where the Nez Perce realized the only way they would get the supplies they needed was to take them by force.

Missouri Breaks Backcountry Byway

Hilger to James Kipp Recreation Area

Major Guido Ilges arrived from Fort Benton with soldiers and volunteers after the fight at Cow Island but engaged in a battle 10 miles north where Nez Perce warriors had surrounded a wagon train.

This route will take you closer to Cow Island, deep into the Missouri Breaks to the Woodhawk Bottom Recreation Area. The roads are rough and you will be required to ford the Two Calf Creek. Be prepared and have a full tank of gas, extra food and water. There is no cell phone coverage in this area.

Cow Island

After leaving Cow Island the leadership of the Nez Perce passed from Poker Joe to Chief Looking Glass

Bear Paw Battlefield

After staying ahead of the military for five months and 1,170 miles, months in which they had crossed mountains, suffered hardship, and lost many friends and relatives, approximately 700 Nez Perce made a final camp on Snake Creek, south of present day Chinook, Montana, 40 miles from the Canadian border.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m. Colonel Nelson Miles and his troops descended on the Nez Perce camp. The warriors, hidden in the coulees and washes, halted the initial charge but the military attacked relentlessly. The battle went on as the days grew colder, with heavy casualties on both sides, until October 5 when Chief Joseph and the approximately 430 remaining Nez Perce surrendered. Those survivors began the last leg of their journey, farther away from their homeland than any of them could have dreamed.

Nez Perce Trail Foundation 

Nez Perce Trail Foundation 

Nez Perce Trail Foundation